Biography

Ukrainian-American skating champion, the winner of an Olympics Gold Medal 2/25/1994 at the Lillehammer Games in Norway. At 15, she was the youngest Olympic figure skating champion since Sonja Henie in 1928.

Within the following year she moved to Connecticut, USA with her trainers, but not mature enough to handle freedom and stardom, adopted the manners of a spoiled rock-star. Her history was not conducive to stability, with abandonment by her dad and the death of her mom, severe back and leg injuries suffered during a practice. But she met some tough lessons when she was picked up by the police several times for drinking and driving. In a highly publicized auto accident of DUI 1/12/1997, she needed stitches to close a gash after slamming her Mercedes into trees.

Sober since August 1998 when she completed rehab, the Russian-born Olympic champion skater is slowly making a comeback. In February 2003, she began training to re-establish herself as a world-class athlete and, in April 2003, she performed in two numbers for a CBS skating special. She met her fiancé, Gene Sunik, in December 2000.